King County Metro Bus Accident Attorney
A bus crash claim is not a car crash claim with a bigger vehicle. When the bus belongs to King County Metro, the other side is a government agency, and that changes the paperwork, the waiting periods, and the way fault gets argued. King County Metro bus accident attorney work at Injury Law Group NW starts from that reality. The firm represents passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers hurt in collisions with transit buses across King County and the greater Seattle area.
Metro buses move through some of the densest streets in the region: downtown Seattle crosswalks, the Eastside corridors around Bellevue and Redmond, and the arterials in Kent and Renton. A rider can be hurt in a sudden stop while seated, a pedestrian can be struck in a marked crosswalk, and a driver can be sideswiped at a stop. Each of those cases can involve different evidence, including onboard video, driver training and scheduling records, and maintenance files. Much of that material sits with a public agency, which is why early action matters.
Government claims also come with a notice process that private-party claims do not. Miss the procedure and a strong case can be thrown out before anyone looks at the facts. The sections below cover how these claims are built, who may be responsible, and what to do in the days after a crash.
Why Choose Injury Law Group NW for a Metro Bus Injury Claim
Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm serving King County, the Eastside, and the greater Seattle area. Its attorneys spent decades defending insurance companies before representing injured people, so they know how claims are valued, delayed, and denied from the inside. The firm offers free, confidential consultations and works on a contingency fee basis, so there is no attorney fee unless money is recovered. Case managers return calls and texts promptly, and the team will come to a client’s home or the hospital when injuries make travel hard.
Troy Hunter, the firm’s founding partner, spent 16 years in insurance defense litigation, mostly as a partner at Floyd, Pflueger & Ringer, and also serves as a dispute mediator. David D. Mordekhov spent two decades at the Seattle defense firm Gardner Trabolsi & Mordekhov, trying wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases before judges and juries. Both are rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. David has been selected to the Super Lawyers list and teaches trial and deposition skills as faculty at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Associate attorneys Warren Barreiro and Hannah Shergold complete the team, and the firm is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice. Its attorneys have argued at every level of the Washington court system, from district court to the Washington Supreme Court.
That background matters against a public transit defendant, which is typically defended with the same discipline as any large insurer. Every claim is prepared as though it will be tried, because defendants pay more fairly when they know the lawyer across the table will go to court. The firm’s results include a mid-six-figure settlement for an elderly woman struck by a transit bus in a downtown Seattle crosswalk, and a mid-six-figure settlement for a family of five whose minivan was forced into the I-5 center barrier by a semi-truck. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome. Clients also speak to the firm in their own language: David is fluent in Russian and Warren speaks Spanish.
Common Ways People Are Hurt in Metro Bus Crashes
- Pedestrian and Crosswalk Strikes: Buses turning at downtown Seattle intersections can strike people who have the walk signal, and large blind spots make these collisions severe. Driver attention, mirror use, and turn speed are central questions.
- Passenger Falls and Sudden Stops: Riders standing, boarding, or exiting can be thrown by hard braking or a lurching start. These cases often turn on onboard camera footage and the driver’s account of why the bus stopped or moved when it did.
- Bus-to-Vehicle Collisions: Sideswipes at stops, lane-change crashes, and rear-end impacts on I-5, I-90, and city arterials can injure drivers and passengers in other cars. Fault is often contested, and comparative fault rules come into play.
- Cyclist Injuries: Bike lanes that share space with bus stops create conflict points where a bus pulling in or out can cut off a rider. Lane position, signaling, and road design all become evidence.
- Brain and Spinal Injuries: The weight difference between a bus and a passenger vehicle or a person on foot makes head and spine injuries common. Symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be delayed, and insurers often dispute injuries that do not show on a scan.
- Wrongful Death: When a bus crash kills someone, the personal representative of the estate brings the claim for the benefit of the spouse or domestic partner and children, and if there are none, the parents or siblings.
- Mechanical and Maintenance Failures: Brake, steering, or door defects can shift responsibility toward maintenance practices or a parts manufacturer, which may open claims against parties other than the transit agency.
What to Do After a Metro Bus Crash and Before the Claim Deadlines
Get medical care first, even if you walk away feeling sore rather than hurt. Adrenaline hides injuries, and brain injuries in particular can announce themselves days later. A prompt record linking your symptoms to the crash is also the most persuasive evidence you can have. Ask the driver or a supervisor for an incident report, get the bus number and route if you can see them, collect names and numbers from other riders and bystanders, and photograph the scene, your injuries, and any damage. If you were a passenger, remember that onboard cameras may exist, and that footage can be overwritten, so a written request to preserve it should go out quickly.
Be careful with statements. Transit agencies and their insurers will want your account early. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement to an adverse insurer, and anything you say about fault or feeling fine can be used to reduce your claim. Talk to a lawyer before you do.
The deadline structure is where Metro cases differ most. Metro is part of King County government, so a claim against it falls under the rules for local government entities. Washington law requires that a claim be presented to the entity’s designated agent on the standard tort claim form before a lawsuit can be filed, and presentment is deemed made when the form is delivered in person or received by mail with the right delivery method. Email and fax are generally not accepted ways to present these claims. No lawsuit can be filed until 60 calendar days after presentment, and the limitations period is paused during that waiting time. The underlying deadline for an injury lawsuit is generally three years from the injury, and a wrongful death claim runs three years from the date of death. When a lawsuit is filed or served, the other step must follow within 90 days or the filing may not stop the clock.
If your claim involves a state agency or a private company, such as a contracted operator or a parts maker, different notice rules may apply, which is another reason to identify every responsible party early. A case that stays in court would typically be filed in King County Superior Court, which sits in Seattle and Kent, with the location depending in part on where you live. Smaller claims can sometimes be heard in King County District Court, but serious injuries almost always exceed what that court can award.
How Fault and Damages Are Decided in Bus Injury Cases
Washington follows comparative fault. If a jury finds you partly responsible, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not eliminated. A pedestrian who crossed outside a crosswalk or a driver who changed lanes near a bus may still recover, and transit defendants often push to inflate that share. Fault under Washington law covers more than carelessness; it includes unreasonable failure to avoid an injury or to limit damages, so gaps in treatment can be used against you.
Proof in a bus case is different from proof in a typical car crash. Useful evidence includes onboard and street-facing video, the driver’s hours and training history, vehicle inspection and repair records, and data recorded by the bus itself. Some of this material sits with a government agency, so requests have to be made carefully and early, before routine retention schedules erase it. A lawyer who has defended these kinds of claims knows which records the other side looks at when deciding whether to settle.
Damages can include past and future medical care, lost wages and lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering. For brain injuries, the long-term picture matters most, and the claim should be supported by medical and vocational evidence rather than a snapshot taken in the first weeks. Wrongful death claims can cover lost financial support and the loss of companionship for qualifying family members, along with medical and funeral costs.
Questions About King County Metro Bus Accident Claims
Can I sue King County Metro if a bus injured me?
Yes. Washington allows claims against local government entities, but you must first present a claim on the standard tort claim form and wait 60 calendar days before filing suit. Skipping the claim step can end your case.
How long do I have to file a Metro bus injury claim?
The general deadline for personal injury lawsuits is three years from the date of injury. Because the claim form must be presented first, and the 60-day waiting period follows, it is best to start well before the three years are nearly gone.
Is the claim form the same as a lawsuit?
No. The tort claim form gives the government notice of your claim. A lawsuit is a separate court filing that can only come after the waiting period. The limitations clock is paused while the 60 days run.
Can I email or fax my claim to Metro?
For most local government claims, email and fax do not count as proper presentment. Delivering the form in person or sending it by a mail method that confirms receipt is the safer approach, and it should be done on the state’s standard form.
What if I was a passenger and the bus driver was not at fault?
You may still have a claim. If another driver caused the crash, that driver’s insurance may be responsible, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy may also apply. A mechanical failure could point to a maintenance issue or a manufacturer.
What if I was partly to blame?
Washington’s comparative fault rule reduces your recovery by your share of fault but does not bar it. If you were found 30 percent at fault, you could still recover 70 percent of your damages.
Will Metro’s video of the crash be available to me?
It may be, but it can be lost if no one asks for it in time. A written preservation request should go out as early as possible, and a lawyer can pursue the footage through the claim and, if needed, litigation.
Who pays my medical bills while the claim is pending?
Personal injury protection coverage on your own auto policy, if you carry it, can pay medical costs regardless of fault. Health insurance may also cover treatment. The firm works to coordinate these sources so bills are handled while the claim moves forward.
My child was hurt on a Metro bus. Do the deadlines change?
Washington tolls the limitations period for people under 18 in many cases. That does not remove the need to act. The government claim process and evidence preservation still matter, and parents may also have their own claim for a child’s injury or death.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a bus crash with modest injuries?
Often yes, because the notice rules and the evidence held by a public agency are traps even in smaller cases. A free consultation will tell you whether the claim justifies representation, and the contingency fee means no attorney fee unless there is a recovery.
How long does a bus accident case take?
It depends on injury severity and whether liability is disputed. The 60-day waiting period adds time before a lawsuit can even be filed, and cases involving brain injuries or permanent impairment usually take longer because treatment has to stabilize before the claim can be valued.
What if the person who died in a bus crash had no spouse or children?
Washington’s wrongful death statute allows the action for the benefit of the parents or siblings if there is no spouse, domestic partner, or child. The personal representative of the estate brings the claim.
Serving Metro Bus Accident Clients Across King County
Injury Law Group NW represents clients throughout King County. In Seattle, that includes downtown, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Ballard, and the neighborhoods along the corridors Metro serves. Eastside clients come from Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, and Issaquah, and the firm also serves families in Kent, Renton, and the communities around them. Across the greater Seattle area and the Puget Sound region, the firm handles bus crashes involving riders, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers wherever they occur in the county. If injuries make travel difficult, the team will meet you at home or at the hospital.
Talk With a King County Metro Bus Accident Lawyer
If a Metro bus injured you or took someone you love, the clock on a government claim is already running. Call or text Injury Law Group NW for a free, confidential consultation with a King County Metro bus accident lawyer. The team will listen to what happened, explain how the claim process applies to your situation, and work to secure the evidence and the compensation you need to move forward. We give hope. We get results.
